This poem resonates with America today…we have been called a “melting pot” for some time now. It seems ironic that this land has been called the land of opportunity because it has been a while since I’ve heard of the “self-made man” in America. It seems like the ability to rise up through the ranks is diminishing more and more everyday, with big corporate business and that top 5% controlling the wealth of our country. Rich’s disclaimer to immigrants is saying that opportunity (or a door) “makes no promises”.

We’re left with a decision, fight or flight.

1.Go through the door into that unknown and risk of blindness and evasion. Immigrants are often pegged as annoyances stealing jobs from regular Americans.

2 Responses

it reminds me of the sermon we heard on sunday, america being a melting pot vs america being a salad bowl. it’s interesting to pose that question to the reader. would you walk through the door knowing what could lie on the other side of it? i watched a documentary in school over the past week about cuban refugees who took rafts to the united states for a “better life.” five years later, some of them were successful, but some were also selling drugs to get by. its just interesting to think about what you would do if you were in that situation.